Sandy MaloneNapa County, CA – The husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) was officially charged by Napa County prosecutors on Thursday in connection with a drunk driving accident that occurred in late May.
The Napa County District Attorney’s Office announced on June 23 that 82-year-old Paul Pelosi had been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and driving with a .08% blood alcohol level or higher causing injury, the Associated Press reported.
Under California law, those charges can be filed as felonies or misdemeanors.
“Based upon the extent of the injuries suffered by the victim, the District Attorney filed misdemeanor charges,” the Napa County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Prosecutors did not describe what injuries were sustained by the 48-year-old driver of the Jeep with whom Pelosi collided because that person has requested privacy under Marsy’s Law, the Associated Press reported.
Charging documents showed that Paul Pelosi had a blood alcohol content of .082 percent when he was tested about two hours after the crash, the Associated Press reported.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said Paul Pelosi was driving a 2021 Porsche on State Route 29 just before 10:30 p.m. on May 28 when he crashed into a 2014 Jeep driving by a 48-year-old man, the New York Post reported.
CHP’s crash report said Pelosi was attempting to cross the highway when he was struck by the Jeep that was travelling northbound, CNN reported.
He was returning to River Run, the vineyard he owns with his politician wife, after a dinner party at the home of Democratic campaign contributor Alexander Mehran when the crash occurred, according to the New York Post.
The crash report does not identify either driver as having been at fault, but then Paul Pelosi was arrested for drunk driving at 11:44 p.m. after he submitted to a breath test administered by law enforcement officers, TMZ reported.
The husband of the highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives was arrested at the scene.
He was booked into the Napa County jail and charged with driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 or higher, according to TMZ.
Paul Pelosi was released on $5,000 bail.
He is scheduled for arraignment on Aug. 3, according to the Associated Press.
If convicted, Paul Pelosi is facing at least five days behind bars and a maximum of five years of probation.
Prosecutors said he could also be ordered to undergo a drinking driver class and have an ignition interlock device installed on his vehicle that would require him to perform a breathalyzer test in order to start it, the Associated Press reported.
Paul Pelosi has been married to his politician wife since 1963.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2015 that the power couple owns an estate and vineyard on the banks of the Napa River.
Paul Pelosi owns and operates Financial Leasing Services, based in San Francisco.
Prosecutors released Paul Pelosi’s mugshot when they announced the charges against him but have so far refused to release the bodycam video from the 82 year old’s arrest.
"Today, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office issued a criminal complaint, filing charges against Paul Pelosi [Nancy Pelosi's husband] based on an auto collision & driving under the influence arrest on May 28th… Mr. Pelosi’s blood sample had a .082% blood alcohol content." pic.twitter.com/KW4FBuEKVl
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) June 23, 2022
CHP told FOX News in a letter to the network that it had the footage of Paul Pelosi’s arrest “however, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office has advised the release of records would jeopardize an ongoing investigation.”
The recent arrest has brought up Paul Pelosi’s tragic teen driving history.
When he was 16 years old in 1957, Paul Pelosi crashed a sports car and his older brother was killed in that wreck, FOX News reported.
He was charged with manslaughter but eventually exonerated.
Holly Matkin
